Medical Marketing & Media back issues from July 2008:
Unilateral armament.(EDITOR'S DESK)(Editorial)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Welcome to The Agency Issue 2008--the biggest ever issue of MM&M. This year we interviewed the respective principals of the Top 60 agencies and wrote about their experiences, highlights and observations from the past year or so, as well as their projections for the future. And ...
Does the current model best serve our clients?(Viewpoint)(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Our clients are experiencing a healthcare marketing environment that has not been seen previously. Product approvals are down, generic competition is bolder, and pricing pressures are higher than ever before. When our clients grow their revenues and profits, there are more ...
Pfizer pushes back amid Chantix safety worries.(NEWS)
Jul 01, 2008; ... WITH AN aggressive program of pushback including newspaper ads and a press briefing, Pfizer sought to turn the conversation on Chantix from side effects to smoking after a bout of bad press. The effort included full-page ads, in the form of an open letter from Pfizer chief ...
IMS sees 10 blockbuster candidates in the pipelines.(NEWS)
Jul 01, 2008; ... DESPITE HOLLOW pipelines across the industry in 2008, seven drugs could hypothetically reach blockbuster status, according to Doug Long, director of industry relations at IMS Health. Three others were predicted in separate IMS Health data released on June 17. Among ...
ACCME calls for 'new CME paradigm'.(NEWS)
Jul 01, 2008; ... THE Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) vowed to crack down on errant providers and proposed a "new paradigm" for commercial support. Urging that "due consideration be given to the elimination of commercial support," ACCME cautioned that "the debate ...
New spot cable offering courts pharma advertisers.(NEWS)
Jul 01, 2008; ... A SPOT CABLE agency is targeting pharmas with a new video-on-demand (VOD) channel will launch this fall, allowing patients and physicians to access drug information, coupons and long-form messaging from advertisers. The My Life on Demand channel, announced by National Cable ...
FDA's DDMAC issued a warning letter on a Novartis partial seizure promotional lenticular magnet for Trileptal.(NEWS: Update)
Jul 01, 2008 ... FDA's DDMAC issued a warning letter on a Novartis partial seizure promotional lenticular magnet for Trileptal, which the agency said omitted the ...
An analyst blamed GlaxoSmithKline's $150 million Alli marketing campaign for what he called weak sales of the OTC weight loss drug.(NEWS: Update)
Jul 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] An analyst blamed GlaxoSmithKline's $150 million Alli marketing campaign for what he called weak sales of the OTC weight loss ...
Public citizen said the Ortho-Evra contraceptive patch exposes women.(NEWS: Update)
Jul 01, 2008 ... Public citizen said the Ortho-Evra contraceptive patch exposes women to dangerous ...
The FDA issued a concept paper explaining a pilot proprietary names review program to enable drug companies to evaluate proposed names and submit the data for review.(NEWS: Update)
Jul 01, 2008 ... The FDA issued a concept paper explaining a pilot proprietary names review program to enable drug companies to evaluate proposed names and submit the ...
Antidote.(NEWS)(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Chantix is taking a real beating this month. First the FDA issues a warning based on cases of irritability, anxiety and even suicidal thinking that have been linked to Chantix use. Since patients with mental disorders were not studied before the drug was approved, there is concern about ...
Gottlieb, Troy defend off-label Rx promotions.(NEWS)(Scott Gottlieb)(Daniel Troy)(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2008; ... TWO FORMER Bush appointees to the FDA, physician Scott Gottlieb and attorney Daniel Troy, came out in favor of relaxing the regulation of unapproved product claims in marketing efforts. Gottlieb, who was deputy commissioner at FDA and is now a fellow at the American Enterprise ...
More than 400 women attended.(NEWS)
Jul 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Novartis' "Leading for Change," a conference aimed at broadening career horizons for leaders. The full-day event, attended by regional sales directors and employees from the company's HQ, was sponsored by two groups--Executive Women ...
As I see it.(WASHINGTON INSIDER)
Jul 01, 2008; ... The worst fears of the drug industry--that state attorneys general (AGs) will add their muscle to the FDA's in marketing enforcement--may be seen in Merck's recent $58 million settlement of state consumer fraud claims arising from the marketing of since-withdrawn Vioxx. The ...
FDA's 'Sentinel Initiative' to improve product safety.(WASHINGTON INSIDER)
Jul 01, 2008; ... THE FDA SAYS it is undertaking a new initiative to develop a system to query a broad range of databases to identify possible post-marketing adverse events. The new "Sentinel Initiative" will depend on public/private partnerships to provide access to the databases. HHS secretary ...
Woodcock takes GMP to the next level.(WASHINGTON INSIDER)
Jul 01, 2008; ... THE FDA'S director of drugs, Janet Woodcock, is pushing her manufacturing and product quality experts to "reinvigorate" her brainchild "GMPs (Good Manufacturing Practices) for 21st Century" initiative and move it to the next level. "We've gotten a lot done on quality-by-design ...
Jones and Bartlett Publishers (J&B) announced the acquisition of Tarascon Publishing, publishers of Pocket Pharmacopoeia and other portable medical reference products.(MEDIA NOTEPAD: Update)
Jul 01, 2008 ... Jones and Bartlett Publishers (J&B) announced the acquisition of Tarascon Publishing, publishers of Pocket Pharmacopoeia and other portable medical reference ...
Quadrant HealthCom Inc.(MEDIA NOTEPAD: Update)
Jul 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Quadrant HealthCom Inc. has named Brian Blitz PA-C group publisher of Clinician Reviews and ...
Oakstone Publishing.(MEDIA NOTEPAD: Update)
Jul 01, 2008 ... Oakstone Publishing launched Orthopaedic Practice Management, a monthly ...
Elsevier, an STM publisher, has launched Expert Radiology, a new series of two-volume titles.(MEDIA NOTEPAD: Update)
Jul 01, 2008 ... Elsevier, an STM publisher, has launched Expert Radiology, a new series of two-volume titles. Each title in the series addresses a single radiologic subspecialty, and ...
STM journals seek interaction online.(MEDIA NOTEPAD)(scientific, technical and medical )(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2008; ... INTEGRATING online strategy into an ever-changing digital environment is no easy task for pharma marketers. "Our audience is ahead of us," said Kent Anderson, executive director, international business and product development at the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). ...
Publisher: American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Circulation: 186,909.(MEDIA CHOICE)
Jul 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As a busy physician, I have very little spare time and must make the best use of every moment I have, including commuting time. I have 45 to 60 minutes of valuable time spent commuting to work and I enjoy listening to AudioGest Family Practice on National ...
Merck a leader in video detailing.(MEDIA NOTEPAD)
Jul 01, 2008; ... IN 2007, ePROMOTION increased by 20% in terms of media spend, with Merck leading the charge, said Tara Hann, director of client services at Verispan. "Merck ranked highest in ePromotion, and is a pioneer [in the field]," said Hann. "Merck held 92% of all video details in the ...
A review of literature.(CME REPORT: Update)
Jul 01, 2008 ... A review of literature on the relationship between commercial support and bias in accredited CME, commissioned by ACCME, found "no evidence to support or refute" the ...
Merck's settlement of Vioxx litigation with 29 states included agreements to abide by ACCME policies regarding disclosure of relationships between speakers and companies and not to fund programs featuring speakers who have spoken at a Merck-sponsored promotional event on a drug in the relevant class within the last 12 months.(CME REPORT: Update)
Jul 01, 2008 ... Merck's settlement of Vioxx litigation with 29 states included agreements to abide by ACCME policies regarding disclosure of relationships between speakers and companies and not to fund programs ...
Sen. Chuck Grassley.(CME REPORT: Update)
Jul 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sen. Chuck Grassley, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, busted a prominent Harvard child psychiatrist, Dr. Joseph Biederman, and his colleague, Dr. Timothy E. Wilens, for failing to report millions in ...
Pfizer posts US med ed grants online.(CME REPORT)
Jul 01, 2008; ... PFIZER FOLLOWED Eli Lilly's lead in posting a list of $10 million in grants and charitable contributions the company made to medical, scientific and patient organizations during the first quarter of 2008 as "part of an ongoing drive throughout the company to increase transparency." ...
NY gov wants ban on gifts to doctors.(CME REPORT)
Jul 01, 2008; ... NEW YORK GOV. David Paterson is proposing legislation that would impose a ban on gifts to doctors and require physicians making presentations at CME events to disclose financial relationships with drug companies. The legislation would ban gifts and payments from drug companies ...
Docs: don't end CME support.(CME REPORT)
Jul 01, 2008; ... A POLL OF 268 physicians found that 92% disagree with an American Medical Association (AMA) committee's call to end commercial support of CME. Respondents to the online poll, by Pri-Med, expressed concern that a ban on commercial support would make it more expensive to receive ...
Web watch.(DIGITAL MARKETING)
Jul 01, 2008; ... The Internet has become the ultimate disruptive medium. Craigslist has almost single-handedly changed the way people look for homes, apartments, jobs and tickets to sporting events. Closer to home, in the pharma industry, there is now more ad money spent online than on medical journals. ...
Revolution Health Group cuts staff to 'consolidate'.(DIGITAL MARKETING)
Jul 01, 2008; ... REVOLUTION Health Group has reduced its staff by 50 employees as the online consumer health company reshuffles for the second time in eight months. "We had some natural synergies that made sense to consolidate," spokesman Brad Burns told MM&M. "Last October we had about 180 ...
Microsoft, Kaiser partner on e-records.(DIGITAL MARKETING)
Jul 01, 2008; ... NONPROFIT HEALTH maintenance organization (HMO) Kaiser Permanente has partnered with Microsoft in its push for electronic consumer-controlled health records. The partnership was first announced in June and is slated to begin with a pilot project open to Kaiser's 156,000 ...
Healthline Networks.(DIRECT MARKETING: Update)
Jul 01, 2008 ... Healthline Networks has launched a contextual ad-matching engine called HealthSTAT (semantic taxonomy ad targeting). The ...
Big Communications.(DIRECT MARKETING: Update)
Jul 01, 2008 ... Big Communications, a healthcare marketing and direct marketing agency, has been acquired by ...
Mobile marketing, and especially text messaging, is "the new frontier" for direct advertising and marketing professionals, according to a New Media Institute white paper.(DIRECT MARKETING: Update)
Jul 01, 2008 ... Mobile marketing, and especially text messaging, is "the new frontier" for direct advertising and marketing professionals, according to a New Media ...
The Email Experience Council (EEC), a division of the Direct Marketing Association, released a study suggesting that images in email ads are routinely blocked by email clients.(DIRECT MARKETING: Update)
Jul 01, 2008 ... The Email Experience Council (EEC), a division of the Direct Marketing Association, released a study suggesting that images in email ads are routinely blocked by email clients. Twenty-seven percent of the email ads surveyed ...
CA bill legalizes patient data exchange.(DIRECT MARKETING)
Jul 01, 2008; ... LEGISLATION PENDING in the California state assembly would allow pharmacies to send patient prescription information to advertisers. However, information sent to patients on behalf of pharmacies must "pertain only to the prescribed course of medical treatment" and that "it may ...
MTI introduces doctor targeting tool.(DIRECT MARKETING)
Jul 01, 2008; ... DTP MARKETER MTI has launched a new multi-channel communication product. Titled Director, the product assesses physician prescribing patterns and other characteristics to determine the most effective way to deliver marketing materials, including drug samples. "We look at ...
CMS proposes DM prohibition.(DIRECT MARKETING)
Jul 01, 2008; ... THE CENTERS FOR Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have proposed new regulations limiting Medicare "door-to-door marketing" and "cold-calling," according to a statement. The rules would expand prohibitions on door-to-door marketing to include "cross-selling of ...
CanWest Mediaworks, a Canadian newspaper and TV giant, is suing the Canadian government to get the country's ban on consumer drug ads repealed, PharmaTimes reported.(DTC REPORT: Update)
Jul 01, 2008 ... CanWest Mediaworks, a Canadian newspaper and TV giant, is suing the Canadian government to get the country's ban on consumer drug ads repealed, PharmaTimes ...
Novartis chief Dan Vasella told the Wall Street Journal that drug ads provide an educational benefit.(DTC REPORT: Update)
Jul 01, 2008 ... Novartis chief Dan Vasella told the Wall Street Journal that drug ads provide an educational benefit, prodding patients to talk to their doctors about conditions they might not otherwise, but allowed that "as a seller, you want to promote the benefit and not ...
Saatchi & Saatchi.(DTC REPORT: Update)
Jul 01, 2008 ... Saatchi & Saatchi Consumer Health + Wellness announced that Johanna Skilling and Shelley Spencer have joined the company as EVP, director of strategic planning and EVP, group account ...
Merck agrees to TV ad pre-clearance.(DTC REPORT)
Jul 01, 2008; ... MERCK AGREED to submit all TV ads to the FDA before running them and to adhere to agency recommendations on them as part of a Vioxx-related settlement. Under the terms of the May settlement, Merck will pay $58 million to settle with 29 states over alleged deceptive advertising ...
Four agree to moratorium.(DTC REPORT)
Jul 01, 2008; ... FOUR TOP pharmas told Reps. John Dingell and Bart Stupak that they would refrain from advertising new drugs to consumers for six months after they hit the market. Merck, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Schering-Plough declined Dingell and Stupak's request that they adopt a ...
Ads for gene tests test AMA, Cali.(DTC REPORT)
Jul 01, 2008; ... THE AMERICAN Medical Association's House of Delegates adopted a resolution calling for "appropriate organizations" to develop criteria for the advertising of DTC genetic tests, a sector increasingly shelling out big bucks for consumer advertising. Delegates were concerned that patients are ...
PR view.(PUBLIC RELATIONS)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Whenever the subject of healthcare and new media comes up, the refrain is almost always: "we're way behind." No doubt, there is truth to that lament. We may all be eager to jump into the digital revolution, to talk to everyone who's talking about us, but we're often limited by the ...
Role of influencers varies among consumers.(PUBLIC RELATIONS)
Jul 01, 2008 ... IN A STUDY conducted by public relations agency Ketchum, researchers uncovered a variety of factors that pinpoint the way consumers make decisions about healthcare. The PR study, titled Health Attitudes and Well Connections: A Ketchum Consumer Study, found that consumers can be ...
WellPoint taps Ricochet PR as AOR.(PUBLIC RELATIONS)
Jul 01, 2008; ... WELLPOINT, A national health benefits provider, named Ricochet Public Relations as its first agency of record. Duties include strategic PR services, corporate branding, media relations and reputation management. Ricochet's account team for WellPoint is headed up by Josh ...
Vantage point.(MARKETING RESEARCH)
Jul 01, 2008; ... As pharmaceutical marketing researchers, we must be mindful that the federal government is not only involved in the regulation of the drug industry, but the 50 state governments are as well. Moreover, individual states have significant autonomy in determining what regulations to employ, do ...
Generics stall growth in prostate cancer market.(MARKETING RESEARCH)
Jul 01, 2008; ... ANNUAL MARKET growth in the prostate cancer drug market will slip to less than 2% through 2012, according to a new Pharmacor report. In 2012, growth is expected to increase to 4.5% through 2017, as premium-priced emerging therapy will command nearly half of all sales. According ...
MR giants merge to form GfK-TNS.(MARKETING RESEARCH)(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2008; ... GFK AND TNS are moving forward on a "merger of equals," to be completed Q4, 2008, pending board approvals. The announcement was made June 3. Hajo Riesenbeck, currently chairman of GfK's supervisor board, will become GfK-TNS chairman of the board. Donald Brydon, ...
Keeping afloat.(2008 AGENCY REVIEW)(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2008 ... The following profiles of the Top 60 healthcare shops--based on independent interviews with the respective principals of each firm--collectively chronicle a fascinating period for medical agencies. Across the board, firms are getting squeezed harder than ever before by clients, and they ...
Abelson Taylor: continued success fueled by rapidly growing DTC and interactive practices.(THE TOP 60)(Company overview)
Jul 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AbelsonTaylor president and CEO Dale Taylor seems slyly elated with the fact that his agency's geographic location, hundreds of miles from the advertising epicenter of Madison Avenue, also serves as one of several secret weapons in his agency's formidable ...
AgencyRx: shop used old-fashioned hard work to win clients and grow organically.(THE TOP 60)
Jul 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] During an era when many agencies are slashing staff count down to subsistence level, Agency Rx spent the last year hiring: The firm employs somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 employees, up from 112 at the same time in 2007. Yet when asked to ...
Altum: three-year-old specialty shop uses its "depth" to expand internationally.(THE TOP 60)
Jul 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Altum, Latin for "depth," celebrated its third year anniversary in 2007, winning three new global accounts. "It has been an excellent year in the context of a rough market," says Altum president Michael Parisi. "We had an excess of 30% growth, and we ...
Area 23: Draftfcb's newest agency can already tout its impressive list of new clients.(THE TOP 60)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Draftfcb Healthcare communications shop Area 23 opened for business in 2007, and by all accounts, its success has exceeded expectations. The agency's already-impressive client roster includes pharmaceutical giants Pfizer (accounts include Relpax and Revatio), GlaxoSmithKline (Lamictal) and ...
Blue Diesel LLC: headcount tripled in size for this thriving and expanding Pennsylvania shop.(THE TOP 60)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Blue Diesel president Kelly Gratz doesn't come right out and say that her firm thrived during a time when many others struggled. But then, she doesn't have to, as the interactive specialist's spate of new business and personnel growth--Gratz estimates that headcount "about tripled" from ...
Brand Pharm: utilizing its Publicis partnerships to land big accounts and global work.(THE TOP 60)
Jul 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Many healthcare-focused agencies do back flips to portray themselves as "one-stop shops," even if their offerings in certain areas--the digital space, usually--are nowhere near as evolved as those of their competitors. The Publicis-owned Brand Pharm, ...
Cadient Group: agency keeps digital media at its core while continuing to grow and diversify.(THE TOP 60)
Jul 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Digital powerhouse Cadient Group has averaged 34% growth over the last three years, and 2007 revenue increased to $23.59 million from $17.69 million in 2006. President and CEO Steve Wray is happy to report that the agency "realized objectives for further ...
Cambridge BioMarketing: Boston shop adds big wins in the quest to break the $10 million mark in 2008.(THE TOP 60)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Cambridge BioMarketing posted strong gains in 2007, notably securing AOR status for Alexion Pharmaceuticals' first product, Soliris. The agency is integrating disease awareness and product campaigns, both print and digital, for the product. Additional account wins include Vertex ...
Carbon: business absorbed from Adient dissolution helped shop post huge gains.(THE TOP 60)
Jul 01, 2008; ... CommonHealth's decision to dissolve its professional agency Adient and divide the business between Carbon and Noesis lead to dramatic expansion in 2007, says Darlene Dobry, president. As a result of the merger, Carbon received Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceuticals and Duramed Pharmaceuticals. ...
The CementWorks: restructuring helped this agency hammer out another successful year.(THE TOP 60)
Jul 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It was a breakthrough year for The CementWorks. After posting a compound annual growth rate of nearly 55% for the last three years, the agency passed the $20 million mark and grew to more than 100 employees. "Knock on wood, we're on a roll," ...
Centron: organic growth continued to fuel revenue for this relatively new shop.(THE TOP 60)
Jul 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When considering Centron, the word "supernova" comes to mind--and it isn't much of an exaggeration. The agency rounds its third year this fall, propelled by explosive 75% growth in revenue and headcount (2007 over 2006). "It's been really fun," ...
Cline Davis & Mann: continuing success with account wins as agency eyes construction of a global network.(THE TOP 60)
Jul 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Cline Davis & Mann would need to have some kind of year to match its performance in 2006. And it did just that. While the Midtown mainstay continued to chalk up victories on the back of solid pitch selection and execution--more than 30 wins with a success ...
Concentric: an award-winning "banner year" generates double-digit growth.(THE TOP 60)
Jul 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Concentric enjoyed a fourth straight year of double-digit revenue growth, jumping 38% to $9.5 million in 2007 from $7.0 million in 2006. Staff increased by 43% (to 52) with a 92% retention rate. A consumer division launched, and this year a new ...